How Many Donors Can One Staff Member Manage?

Q: I am new to my organization and they’ve used the Benevon Model for about six years now. I would like to know Benevon’s thoughts on a manageable number of multiple-year donors a single employee should realistically manage.

We currently have about 60 multiple-year donors throughout four counties. I am required to continue to cultivate these donors, while working with the board and new Table Captains to increase this number next year. It doesn’t seem practical to do this to its full potential throughout four counties.

Elena in Florida

A: By the third year using the model, the organizations we train and coach in our program should have at least two full-time staff dedicated to the model. One staff manages the cultivation and major gifts process with the existing multi-year donors in your giving society. The other staff member is accountable for keeping the pipeline full and ensuring a sustainable process for generating volunteer Ambassadors who fill the Points of Entry.

One major gifts person can manage relationships with approximately 200 Multiple-Year Giving Society Donors if that is all they are doing. That person would be responsible for ensuring that each of these donors receives two personal cultivation contacts (minimum) every year, and that these contacts specifically relate to each donor’s particular area of interest and passion in your work. The goal of each contact is to get to know the donor better and to deepen their connection to your mission.

These contacts might be what we call CEO Golden Hours, which can take three forms: small groups of multi-year donors meet with your CEO for an update on current issues and challenges at the organization, one-on-one phone calls with the CEO or one-on-one meetings with the CEO.

In addition to personal cultivation contacts, it is this person’s responsibility to ensure each multi-year donor attends at least one Free Feel-Good Cultivation Event each year where they are further connected to the impact of their giving on the people you serve.

Finally, this person determines when the donor is ready to be asked for an additional gift, an extension on their pledge, or an increase to a higher level of giving, and coordinates that ask taking place. This leverages all of the work you’ve done to get the 60 or so Multiple-Year Giving Society donors you already have by ensuring that those people stay with you. Eventually, they will get involved in ways beyond their financial support. As an example, many of these faithful multi-year donors will become some of your best Ambassadors, by hosting and filling private Point of Entry Events with ten or more of their friends or colleagues.

At the same time, you will need a full-time staff member accountable for keeping the pipeline full with at least two private, Ambassador-hosted-and-filled Point of Entry Events per month with 10 or more guests in attendance. This person oversees your volunteer Ambassador Manager, who in turn supports Ambassadors on fulfilling their short-term commitment to fill and host one tour.

They manage the conversion from Ambassador to Table Captain, where they invite your successful Ambassadors to host tables at your Ask Event with guests who have already been well cultivated and have attended Point of Entry Events in the prior year.